2014 color of the year: Radiant orchid

If you're a color nerd, you've been waiting for this moment all year: Pantone's reveal of the 2014 color of the year. The great color gurus have spoken, the news is in, and we're looking at Radiant Orchid, a luscious fuschia and rich purple undertones.

A color this vivid has all kinds of amazing applications around the home in interior decor, paint trends, and more, so let's take a look at some of the ways you can bring Radiant Orchid into your house. The experts at Pantone note that: "Radiant Orchid complements olive and deeper hunter greens, and offers a gorgeous combination when paired with turquoise, teal and even light yellows." Like other vivid colors, it also contrasts well with neutrals including grays and taupes.

If you're put off by the thought of rich pinks, look around you. Pinks are cropping up all over the place in fashion, home design, and more, ranging from pale to highly saturated to neon, and Radiant Orchid fits right in -- plus, it can totally complement Emerald, Pantone's selection for 2013!

Perhaps you don't want to take the plunge and drench your whole house in it (we wouldn't recommend that), but it makes a fantastic accent color in a neutral room. A few pillows in Radiant Orchid can make a room pop, or bring out a given piece of furniture; think of a wingback chair upholstered in Radiant Orchid in a room dominated by steel grays, for example, or some airy Radiant Orchid pillows in a sunroom decorated in themes of white. Make a bedroom light in the dark of winter by using turquoise bedding with Radiant Orchid pillows...or vice versa!

For more advanced players, consider an accent wall painted in this bold, assertive color. It can bring depth and intensity to a room without overpowering it as an entirely pink room would, and don't overlook the ceiling; a purple ceiling with white or cream walls can look stunning. Radiant Orchid can also be employed on furniture and trim to provide light touches of pink intensity without going overboard. For those who enjoy rehabbing furniture and similar home carpentry projects, this color should definitely be in the palette for 2014.

This Old House has a great roundup of Radiant Orchid-inspired rooms showing different uses for this bold and amazing color and its relations around the house. You might find yourself picking up the phone to call your Miami painter or meandering through the aisles of the furniture store to check out your options after looking at their varied assortment of design options from chic to sleek to playful.